"Just last week, our downtown, for the second year in a row, was ranked second in the nation by Livability.com," Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard said.

VELOCITY follows a housing study showing 3,500 additional apartment units will be built within the next three years. More people translates to more amenities, like neighborhood microparks, and also improving how we navigate through downtown. For example, some one-way streets, like Michigan, will turn into a two-way road to help slow traffic.

But first on the list, a clean and safe downtown, with the help of more street-level lighting to reduce crime.

Experts say global trends are clear that more people want to live and work downtown to be close to shops, entertainment and cultural venues, all thanks to Baby Boomers and Millenials.

"The Millenial generation clearly prefers alternatives to cars. Bikes, walking," said Brad Segal, a national downtown development expert.

Research shows Indianapolis can expect to add more than 140,000 new residents in the next 25 years and many of them will choose to live downtown.